Honorary Member Award



Bobby E. Price


Honorary Member
Reston, Virgina, June 4, 2007 — The American Society of Civil Engineers recognized the accomplishments of Bobby E. Price, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE by electing him to Honorary Membership. The Induction Ceremony will take place at the black tie gala banquet, held in conjunction with the Society’s 137th Annual Civil Engineering Conference, on November 3 at the Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, Florida.
     Dr. Price was honored for his distinguished service and leadership of over four decades in engineering education and the engineering profession and for outstanding contribution in the reformation of the future of civil engineering education and professional licensure. He has been a leader in the decision-making process, as ASCE’s initiative to reform engineering education in the United States has taken form and moved forward. He has provided ASCE with timely and well founded input at key junctures throughout the implementation of Policy Statement 465 and deserves significant credit in this regard as engineering education changes over the coming decades.
     Dr. Price served on the ASCE Committee on Curricula and Accreditation during the development of the ABET EC 2000 Criteria and Civil Engineering Program Criteria, serving as chair of CC &A in 1997-98. In addition, he plays a central role in reforming engineering education through his involvement with the Committee on Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice (CAP3) for which he was a founding member and the first chair of its licensure committee.
     Critically important, Dr. Price successfully encouraged cooperation among ASCE, NSPE, NCEES, ABET, and other organizations in developing and proposing engineering educational/licensure models and action plans through the NSPE Engineering Education/Licensure Model Task Force. He launched an initiative with the Professional Engineers in Higher Education to gain greater acceptance of construction experience for purposes of engineering licensure. Dr. Price helped to initiate the “Get Licensed/Get Ahead” Campaign to encourage engineering students and young engineers to pursue engineering licensure and conducted dozens of national, state, and local presentations on changes necessary to improve the engineering education/licensure process. He worked closely with federal governmental officials within USACE and NAVFAC to promote engineering licensure and the establishment of a joint position statement on federal engineers’ final technical authority.
     An outstanding educator in hydraulics and water resources, Dr. Price also taught many courses in engineering mechanics, capstone design, and professionalism and ethics at Louisiana Tech University for 32 years. One of his greatest contributions to the college’s educational mission was the emphasis he placed on communications and presentations. He received the ASCE Student Chapter’s Outstanding Professor Award an amazing 10 times throughout his tenure with the University. In addition to his teaching, advising, and research responsibilities, Dr. Price held numerous leadership positions in the University, including Civil Engineering Program Chair, College of Engineering Graduate Studies Director, and College Undergraduate Studies Director. The University has established a Distinguished Professorship in his name.
     Dr. Price has played key leadership roles, including serving as President or Chairman, of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Louisiana Engineering Society, the Louisiana Engineering Foundation, the American Water Works Association Southwest Section, and as Vice Chairman and member of the Universities Council on Water Resources Committee on Research and Education in Water Resources Engineering. He served on the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board from 1997-2003, and served as Chair in 2002-03.
     In addition to numerous civic organizations, Dr. Price is a member of the Lincoln Parish Geographical Information System Commission and the Sparta Groundwater Conservation Commission. His achievements have been recognized by numerous awards, including the William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award from ASCE, being inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni by the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and being named a Distinguished Engineer by the Texas Engineering Foundation.
     Honorary Membership is the highest award the Society may confer, second only to the title of ASCE President. Honorary Members on this prestigious and highly selective list have attained acknowledged eminence in a branch of engineering or its related arts and sciences. There are now 565 individuals who have been elected to this distinguished grade of membership since 1853.